General information about the brake system

The speed of the Passat, depending on the modification, reaches 190–240 km/h. Additional load on the brakes creates the mass of the car. When installed on a Passat car with modern powerful engines, its gross weight reaches 2200 kg - more than two tons. The front and rear wheels of the car are equipped with disc brakes. To improve the thermal regime of the front brakes, internal ventilation of the discs is provided. The brakes do not need to be adjusted, they are installed independently.

Brake booster and anti-lock system (ABS) increase braking efficiency. Electronic stabilization system is used to optimize active safety (ESP). The interaction of these systems achieves high braking efficiency and minimum stopping distance in critical situations, since «brake assistant» in these cases, increases the pressure on the brake pedal to the stop.

The Passat is equipped with two diagonal brake circuits. One circuit uses the front right and rear left wheels, the second circuit uses the front left and rear right wheels. When only one of the circuits is working, you have to press the brake pedal harder to achieve the braking of the car. This increases the pedal travel and lengthens the stopping distance.

When you press the brake pedal, the pusher presses on the two pistons of the master brake cylinder, which through the brake booster form pressure in the system.

The master brake cylinder cannot be repaired. If it fails, it must be replaced as an assembly. The pistons transmit the pedal force via a hydraulic line to the brake calipers.

The caliper pushes the wheel cylinder piston, which in turn presses the lining against the brake disc. When the pedal is released, the piston returns to its original position and the pads move away from the disc. The distance between the pads and the disc becomes about 1 mm, but this is enough for the disc to rotate freely.